


never have i ever (known someone like you)

by pierrot



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 04:00:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28664334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pierrot/pseuds/pierrot
Summary: In some ways, Jeno thinks life is mostly just about responding to Donghyuck's whims.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Lee Jeno
Comments: 14
Kudos: 59





	never have i ever (known someone like you)

By the time they’re fifteen, Jeno has learned how to recognise the glint in Donghyuck’s eyes when he’s about to cause trouble.

He sees it when they’re in the middle of the local convenience store, picking out snacks to bring back to the training room. Donghyuck sidles up to Jeno and says, “Do you ever think about just slipping something into your pocket instead of paying for it?”

Jeno whips his head around, checking to see if anyone could have overhead. Once he’s sure they’re safe, he drops his elbow into Donghyuck’s side. “Shut up,” he says, with about as much force as his whispered voice will allow. “You’re going to get us kicked out.” 

Donghyuck rolls his eyes. “I’m not actually saying I would ever do it. I’m just asking: do you ever think about it? Sometimes, when I’m walking around and I can tell no one is paying attention to me, it just seems like it would be so easy.”

“There are cameras,” Jeno points out.

Looking across, he can see frustration flicker across Donghyuck’s face. He’s grown used to the sight by now. Donghyuck’s patience is limited, and his emotions show freely.

“Whatever,” says Donghyuck. “Let’s go.”

Outside the convenience store the summer air is disgustingly humid. Jeno remembers now why they were lingering so long while wandering through the aisles. “You got ice cream, right?” he asks. “Can I have one now?”

“I got you something better.”

Donghyuck fishes something out from his pocket and tosses it to Jeno. When Jeno looks down, he sees in his hands a small packet of gum.

“What…” Realisation hits him. “ _Seriously?_ You said you wouldn’t do it!”

“I wanted to prove a point.”

“ _What_ point? Now we can’t go back there.”

Donghyuck doesn’t look concerned. “I never liked that place anyway. Come on, let’s go. You can cry about it later.”

When Jeno doesn’t move, still frowning at the incriminating gum packet, Donghyuck tries to drag him along.

“I didn’t even see you take it,” Jeno says. The grip on his arm loosens.

“I have quick hands.” Donghyuck holds one up and wiggles his fingers. “See?”

In a flash, he strikes past Jeno’s defences and manages to grab at his cheek, pinching it tightly between his thumb and forefinger. “Look at my cute, little Jeno,” he says, even as Jeno tries knock him away. “Such a good— _ow_!”

Donghyuck starts running the moment Jeno pulls free. Jeno chases him all the way back to the training room.

Five years later, Donghyuck looks at Jeno while they’re sitting in the waiting room at Music Bank and says, “Do you ever think about what your stage name would be if you had one?”

It’s maybe the fiftieth time now he’s asked Jeno one of these questions. Most of the time, they're thoughts that Jeno can honestly say have never crossed his mind. Almost every time, Jeno seems to end up disappointing Donghyuck with his response. It’s like a test he’s destined to fail.

Today is no exception. “No,” he says, and he feels Donghyuck deflate beside him. “I like being Jeno.”

“You could still be Jeno. Just… add something special to it, like how Yunho is U-Know Yunho.”

“You think I should be called U-Know Jeno?”

The look Donghyuck gives him is ice-cold. “I knew I should have asked Renjun instead.”

Renjun is sitting just a few metres away, busy getting his hair restyled by one of the coordis. Jeno knows Donghyuck won’t hesitate to go over there if he decides Jeno is a waste of his time. Any second now, Donghyuck will get up, and Jeno will be left alone to watch him while he messes around with Renjun.

“Maybe… Powerful Jeno?” he tries, though he feels a bit stupid saying it.

Donghyuck glances across at him. “Boring,” he says. “You should be more creative. Come up with a theme for the whole group. Like…” He looks at Jeno carefully, studying his face for inspiration. Jeno is braced for an insult, so he’s surprised when it doesn’t come.

“Eye Smile Jeno,” Donghyuck says.

“Eye Smile Jeno?”

“Yeah. Eye Smile Jeno, Shoulders Renjun, Big Head Chenle…”

“Eyebrows Mark,” Jeno offers.

Donghyuck laughs. “Mark would be so mad.”

“What would you be?” Jeno asks.

“Hmm… Handsome Face Haechan?”

Jeno drops all humour from his expression, even as Donghyuck smiles at him prettily with his hands framing his face. Jeno grabs one of those hands and pulls it towards him.

“I think Bitten Nails Haechan would be a better fit,” he says, pretending to examine Donghyuck’s nails with great interest. He doesn’t really need to look to know the state of them. Some things are constants.

Donghyuck tries to tug away, but Jeno holds firm.

“Jeno, let go.”

“No.” Instead of complying, Jeno pulls Donghyuck even closer, and guides his captured hand into the front pocket of his hoodie. “I’m confiscating it. You clearly need someone to keep your hands safe for you.”

“And that person is you?”

“It is now.”

Donghyuck stares at him. He doesn’t try to pull away—he barely even moves. His hand is still trapped inside the warmth of Jeno’s hoodie, fingers curled into a loose fist. Jeno can feel it press against his abdomen when he breathes.

“You’ve only got one of my hands,” Donghyuck says.

Jeno offers him an upturned palm.

Renjun returns a few minutes later to find them curled together on the couch. It’s mostly Donghyuck who is curled up against Jeno, his head resting on Jeno’s chest—attempting to sneak in a quick nap before they’re due back on stage.

His hands are still tucked away safely in Jeno’s pocket.

Renjun gives Jeno a funny look when he stops in front of them. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing. Haechan said he was tired.”

That’s not what Renjun was questioning, Jeno knows, but Renjun lets it slide.

“Okay… I’m going to go find out where the others ran off to. Don’t let him sleep too long, yeah? He’ll need to fix his hair and makeup before we go out.”

Jeno nods. Hidden from view, his fingers trace patterns over the ridges of Donghyuck’s knuckles.

Two years later, Donghyuck crawls up to sit beside Jeno in their shared hotel room bed and says, “Do you ever think about quitting?”

For once, Jeno can say he has. He’s sure everyone thinks about it sometimes. Renjun and Jaemin liked to luxuriate in their quitting fantasies on the really bad days. Renjun was always the most dramatic, detailing grand plans to expose all of SM’s dirty secrets with no fear of repercussions. Jaemin never thought much about the aftermath. His fantasies always focussed on the breaking point; sometimes mundane, but other times a little too dark.

In all the scenarios Jeno came up with, he could never picture himself being the first to quit.

“Yeah,” Jeno says, and he feels Donghyuck relax against him. “Do you?”

Donghyuck doesn’t respond. Instead he reaches for Jeno’s hand and lifts it up, sliding their fingers together. Jeno looks at the torn cuticles on Donghyuck’s fingers, the nails clipped short to neaten any jagged edges that might otherwise be there. He suddenly thinks about how he hasn’t done a good job of keeping Donghyuck’s hands safe after all.

“Sorry,” he says.

Donghyuck’s head drops against Jeno’s shoulder. “Why are you sorry?”

Jeno’s not sure how to answer.

He wants to ask Donghyuck what he thinks about when he pictures quitting. Does he have a plan for how he would do it? Would he tell any of them first? What would he do afterwards?

He’s a little afraid to know.

“Just one more night,” he says, clutching Donghyuck tighter.

“Yeah,” says Donghyuck. “Just one more.”

_A moment Jeno clings to, at some point between the first “Do you ever?” and the hundredth:_

“Do you ever think about kissing me?”

They’re sitting next to each other on the practice room floor, thighs pressed together and backs against the wall. Everyone else is still there. Jaemin is curled up on the other side of the room, checking his phone; Jisung and Renjun are with the choreographer; Chenle is standing not far away, eyes vacant as he stares into space. It’s an ordinary scene, one they’ve all lived through countless times before.

For a second, Jeno wonders if he misheard.

He never gets a chance to answer. Renjun comes over and drags Donghyuck away, insistent he pay up for losing the bet they made earlier. Donghyuck doesn’t offer too much resistance, and Jeno is left behind.

There is a moment when Donghyuck looks back at him. His expression when he turns is carefully neutral. Maybe it’s a little bit nervous, but maybe Jeno is reading too much into it. Their eyes remain locked, both silently assessing each other, until Renjun tugs again at Donghyuck and his attention is stolen away.

Sitting there, watching Donghyuck, Jeno thinks about what he wants his answer to be.


End file.
